When Arielle “A.J.” Auerbach ’26 was a freshman, she remembers sitting in the Branch Theatre at Convocation listening to the thunderous applause from the students all around her.

For the first time, Holland Hall was going to have a real mascot.

Not a paper mache clog held up with suspenders. Not an aging “Dutchman” with big gray eyebrows and a menacing grin. A proper mascot — a lion named “Dutch.”

Inspired by the Holland Hall crest, the mascot committee pointed out all of the qualities the Dutch student body shared with the king of the jungle — loyalty, bravery, intelligence.

“And then it kind of clicked for me,” A.J. remembered. “I was like, ‘Someone’s going to need to be in that suit. I wonder if it could be me?’”

A Lot Of School Spirit

When A.J. topped out at 4-feet-10-inches tall, she knew she probably wasn’t going to be an athlete.

“As a little kid, I wanted to be a cheerleader,” she said. “By the time I got to high school, I knew I didn’t have the skill set.”

But she also knew that she wanted to start fresh in high school.

“I was kind of trying to figure out who I was as a high-schooler. What my adult self was going to look like.”

She wasn’t the student council president or the largest personality on campus.

“But I do have a lot of school spirit, and I knew that I wanted to be involved in that sort of way.”

So she found school photographer and videographer Chris McConnell, who students knew had spearheaded the focus groups and committee to bring a mascot to life.

The first student to try on the suit literally burned out the first time he wore the hot, furry suit  —  at the unveiling for dozens of students who had found “golden tickets” to a mascot reveal party. So a tall athletic coach stepped in for the next few appearances — with a lot more water breaks than the poor kid the first time around had.

But A.J. wanted to give it a try.

“I thought this would be a really fun way to just do something really interesting in high school.”

The Birth Of Lil’ Dutch

The Dutch costume has muscles. Lots of muscles.

When A.J. saw it for the first time, she thought the body looked like a “football dad.” And she wasn’t sure she could pull it off.

But then she got in the suit.

“I remember thinking, ‘I’ve been transformed into a cartoon character. The first thing I noticed were like these giant feet. And I was like, ‘Is this what Bugs Bunny feels like?’”

Inside the voluminous fabric, A.J. couldn’t even get her hands to reach into the paws. So, Chris McConnell took them off and put her in football gloves, with the extra fabric stuffed inside.

“And then I got the head on, and I started doing these body movements and fun little dances. And very quickly it all came together.”

She was Dutch. But a perfect, cuddly, pocket-sized Dutch.

A Lil’ Dutch, if you will.

A Tale Of Two Dutches

When you see the mascot at a football game, Dutch probably has the shirt sleeves pushed up — all the better to see bulging biceps.

But when you see Dutch in the carpool line at the Primary School, or at a classroom birthday party, it’s a softer Dutch. One that doesn’t have to bend down so far to hear little voices.

“You know, little kids really like Dutch, so I try to give them extra attention.”

A.J. remembers the first time she realized the difference between the two versions of the mascot.

“Mr. McConnell told me they were trying to redo the caricature of Dutch, so that it kind of matched more of my energy,” she said.

Indeed they were. After hiring an illustrator to make the mascot more kid-friendly, Lil’ Dutch was born.

Then the Lil’ Dutch character started showing up on stickers and T-shirts.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, wait, something I’m doing is actually having a bigger impact on the school,’” A.J. said. “What started out as just a fun, extra-curricular thing became something that I contributed to.

“And now Lil’ Dutch is on all of these T-shirts and bags. It’s a stuffed animal. And I was like, ‘Wait, did I accidentally create this icon?’

“Because I’ve been going here since I was 3, I’m happy to leave a little piece of me behind, because I love the school. It’s a second home.”

Arielle “A.J.” Auerbach on being Dutch

What’s it like inside the costume?

It is kind of a difficult job. It’s hot. It’s sweaty. You can’t see well. You can’t breathe well sometimes. But I think it’s very worth it, because you get to be someone who makes people smile.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as Dutch?

I’m normally a control freak. But sometimes you’re going to trip, you’re going to bump into things. It’s going to be awkward. It’s going to be embarrassing, but you just kind of have to keep going through it.

Best moments as Dutch?

You know, little kids really like Dutch, so I try to give them extra attention. One girl drew me pictures of her and Dutch, and I’ve kept them. They’re just so freaking sweet.

What was your worst experience in the costume?

A Kindergarten birthday celebration with Dutch. There were streamers in the door, so that students couldn’t see what was happening, but they knew Dutch was coming.

They had all of the kids sit by the door, but back so that I had space to run and jump out. But the kids kept creeping closer to the door. The kids are counting down, and scooting closer and closer to the door. I can’t really see in the costume, or even look down, so I can’t see them.

I ran in full-force, tripping over the children. I remember this in slow motion. The kids. The horrified looks on their faces. The birthday boy and me falling. … Some of these kids start crying. And the poor teachers are trying to console them, and tell them, ‘It’s OK, Dutch isn’t gonna run anymore.’ I just hope those kids aren’t afraid of mascots now!

Do people know you’re Dutch?

I think a lot of people in my grade know. At a pep rally, sometimes people will say my name, and it’s hard not to turn around, but I don’t. I’m really careful, because I know a lot of kids also don’t know it’s me. I still get a lot of, ‘Are you a girl or a boy in there?’

Will you try out for mascot in college?

I don’t know if it’s mascotting that I love. I think it’s just the school that I love.

Were you scared of mascots as a kid?

Never. I grew up going to Disney World because my parents got engaged there, so we go often.

I’ve always been a fan of the mascot characters and how they interact with people. They have these big movements. And even though they can’t talk, you kind of know what they’re thinking.

Who should be the next Dutch?

I’m very protective over Dutch. I always want to do it, and if it’s not me (in the costume), please be careful about who it is. Dutch really needs that friendly energy!